Biography contributed by Katherine Blakeley.
Jane McGill Bell was born on 28 January 1861 in Killean, Argyllshire, Scotland – the daughter of Duncan Bell, a wool and cotton weaver, and Jane Matheson.
She emigrated to Otago with her family in the 1860’s and they settled at Whare Flat near Dunedin where they had a farm.
Jane married William Wilson Brown, a tailor, on 28 June 1879 in the Palmerston parish.
They had four children and when Jane signed the suffrage petiton they were living in Sunnydale, North East Valley in Dunedin.
William died in 1923 and Jane died on 23 November 1943 – they are buried together in the Andersons Bay Cemetery.
Sources:
BDM online NZ https://bdmhistoricalrecords.dia.govt.nz/
DCC Cemetery Records http://www.dunedin.govt.nz/facilities/cemeteries/cemeteries-search
Family Search https://www.familysearch.org
Otago Nominal Index http://marvin.otago.ac.nz
Papers Past https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz
Presbyterian Research Centre https://www.presbyterian.org.nz/archives/
Scotlands People https://www.scotlandspeople.gov.uk
Click on sheet number to see the 1893 petition sheet this signature appeared on. Digital copies of the sheets supplied by Archives New Zealand.
Community contributions